Patients on anticoagulants in Mississippi and across the country should be aware of internal bleeding problems allegedly associated with certain blood thinners, including Xarelto. This drug received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in June 2011 as a treatment for possible blood clots following hip and knee replacement surgeries. It was also approved for addressing a heightened risk of stroke and pulmonary embolism.
Xarelto Now Widely Used
In just a few years, the medication that is jointly manufactured by Bayer Healthcare and Janssen Pharmaceuticals has been more and more widely used. It is estimated that approximately 4 million individuals take Xarelto each year. Sales of the anticoagulant are approaching the $1 billion mark. In many instances, physicians prescribe Xarelto rather than a traditional blood thinner, Coumadin (warfarin) in part because of lesser monitoring requirements.
Xarelto Side Effects Cause Serious Problems
However, concerns have arisen over the lack of an approved “reversing agent” in cases of internal bleeding or hemorrhaging that have been reported in patients taking the drug. A reversing agent is simply a substance that can reverse the anticoagulant effect of the medication. With Coumadin, a reversing agent does exist. Vitamin K is an approved antidote that can often stem a problem of internal bleeding in patients on Coumadin.
A study published in the August 2014 issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery cited increased bleeding problems detected in a specific class of anticoagulant medications that included Xarelto. The article discussed newer guidelines that address bleeding problems in the brain that surgeons are encountering as they attempt to cope with brain hemorrhage events that are allegedly Xarelto side effects.
FDA Receives Complaints
Uncontrollable bleeding events allegedly linked to Xarelto have caused serious injury and even death. In 2013 alone, the FDA reportedly received over 600 claims of adverse Xarelto side effects, including internal bleeding.
Plaintiffs have filed lawsuits in Mississippi and throughout the nation alleging that 1) bleeding risk was not properly communicated to the patient, and/or 2) no approved antidote exists to properly deal with incidents of internal bleeding and hemorrhage. Some plaintiffs have even requested in their complaints that Xarelto be recalled or taken off the market until an appropriate reversing agent can be identified and approved by the FDA. Many have sought compensation under the provisions of Mississippi state law medical expenses, potential lost wages, pain and suffering and other expenses. In some cases, surviving family members have file wrongful death claims that seek monetary awards to compensate for loss of companionship.
Xarelto’s manufacturers do say that they have approached Portola Pharmaceuticals about having that company develop such an antidote, but no such approved substance exists at this time.
Contact Us Today
Attorney Group for Mississippi is here to answer your questions about Xarelto side effects and the resulting lawsuits. If you decide to pursue a claim for compensation for damages, we can connect you with an affiliated attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process. Contact us today to get started in a free consultation.
